So far, Joshua has taught me lots of things! Here are a few!
Move your hands!! - Ever since Joshua was born, he has had his hands in or around his mouth. They were always in the way when he learned how to eat. And now they are what he eats! :) I have been moving them out of the way to feed him for 7 months now! I mean, why would you want to chomp on your hands when you could have good food?! It made me think about what I might have in the way when God is trying to bless me with something really great. Do I try to do things myself or protect myself when I should be open to what He is trying to teach me? I should move my hands so He can give me the real food!
A Smile Covers a Multitude of Evils - On our way back from Mississippi in March, we witnessed an "altercation" on the plane--adults were fighting like children over an airplane seat. The participants in the altercation were sitting right next to us, and they were all pretty sour for the first part of the plane ride. Then Joshua woke up, flashed his toothless grin at them, and they were happy and talkative for the rest of the flight! It's amazing what a baby's smile can do. (That didn't keep one of them from getting arrested when we landed, but that's another story.) No matter what is happening around me, even if I'm frustrated because Joshua won't go down or eat right or if I've just had a bad day at work, it all melts away when I get a good Joshua smile. Although my smile may not be nearly as cute as Joshua's, I should offer it more freely. There's always someone around who needs it!
Everything is a phase (a.k.a., this too shall pass) - Several months back, we had a 3-week period where Joshua got overtired pretty easily and cried ALOT, especially at naptime and bedtime. We tried everything to accommodate his little quirk, but it just didn't seem to get better. I was so worried that we weren't doing a good job and that this was going to last for the rest of his infant life! I was even thinking about quitting my job to help him get more rest! One Sunday on the way home from church, I had this vision of myself when I was older answering someone's question about what I wish I had done differently as a parent. My older self answered, "I wish I hadn't worried so much about all the little things." On that day, I vowed to start enjoying parenthood and leave the worrying to God. It's been a great motto--one I follow often (but not always unfortunately).
Everyone is someone's little baby, and we're all God's children - It's easy to be annoyed when someone pulls out in front of you or throws you under the bus in some way. But I've started to realize that all of those people were someone's little "Joshua" once. They may or may not have had kind, nurturing parents, but they were sweet little things that just wanted to be loved. I want to love them the way that I love Joshua, especially if they didn't have good childhoods. Although we can't fully understand the way that God loves us, being parents is a very meaningful insight into how He must feel. If I love my baby this much, and I'm a sinful, selfish poop, how much must a perfect God love us??!!
When you hurt, it's not just you that feels the pain - when your baby falls and hurts his little head, it hurts Momma too. When we go through tough times, whether or not we've brought it on ourselves, those who love us hurt too. I've become much more tenderhearted about other people's pain since Joshua was born. This tenderness is a sweet gift from God. I've been able to glaze over other people's issues for too long. No longer. "And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart." Ezekiel 36:26
Thanks, Joshua, for the lessons. :)
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